Harvest – The Well Creative Children's ministry

As we come further into spring, it’s a great time to tell the parable of the sower and to think about how we grow as disciples.

Here are some helpful resources to help you to do this:

Use the Parable of the Sower Playdough Mat (above). Click here to print off and use. For repeated use, it really helps to laminate the sheet!

Think about how seeds might grow on different types of ground by testing it out! Make ‘seed balls’ and then throw them into your garden and watch what happens as nature takes its course. This is a great set of instructions to help you to get started. Be aware that it might get messy!

Go into the garden and look at where plants are growing and where they aren’t. What do you notice?

Watch this video of the story, using photos taken in Israel of the 4 different types of land.

Use junk to make a model of something that really sticks out to you from the story. Share what you have made and why.

Talk about:

What helps plants to grow?
What helps people to grow?
What helps us to grow in knowing more about Jesus?

Pray:

Eat some fruit and ask God to help us grow in knowing about and loving Jesus and in loving each other.

This talk can be used with the story of creation in Genesis or with the parable of the talents.

You will need: A big box covered in wrapping paper containing a torch (Light), water and oil in a bottle (day 2- shake and they separate), sand or soil in a bottle, toy food or plants (day 3), a card sun, moon and stars (day 4), a toy bird or fish (day 5), a toy animal and a human doll or play person(day 6) a pillow (day 6); a gift label of sticker for everyone in the congregation, pens.

Invite someone to come up to the front and unwrap the big box. Take out all of the things inside (it doesn’t really matter what order they are in- they are all God’s gifts!) and speak about the gifts that God gives us in creation, things that we especially remember at harvest time.

I love getting gifts and when I do, I always want to say thank you to the person who has given it to me because it really shows they care and I want to show them that I care back. Sometimes I make a little thank you card to give them and sometimes I think about what gift I can give them. God has given us all of these amazing gifts. If you could give him something back what would it be?

The truth is that God has given us all sorts of gifts- not just gifts in nature, but gifts of things that we are good at doing. How could you use the things that you are good at doing to help God or to help others and, in your own way, give something back?

Get people to discuss in groups what they might individually do and then ask them to write or draw their gift on a gift label or sticker. As a symbolic prayer of thanks, play some music and ask people to come and put their label on the big gift box. Pray that over the coming days and weeks, they will be able to use their gifts as a gift to God.